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Frequently Asked Questions Insurance

Payment (Who receives the benefits when you die)

If the insured person was a Federal RETIREE or compensationer:
You must report the death to OPM's Retirement Office. You can use this tool or you can call Retirement at 1-888-767-6738.
If you believe the retiree was enrolled in FEGLI Life Insurance and that you are a beneficiary, you can download a claim form and mail it to OFEGLI, an office of MetLife. MetLife determines who is entitled to FEGLI Life Insurance proceeds, for what amount, and processes all claims. OPM has no role in this process.
Due to privacy restrictions, OPM cannot release information about whether the retiree was enrolled in FEGLI Life Insurance, the amount of life insurance, or the names of the beneficiaries. MetLife will mail a claim form to each beneficiary. All inquiries about life insurance claims must be directed to MetLife.
If the insured person was a Federal EMPLOYEE:
You must report the death to the employee's human resources office.
If you believe the employee was enrolled in FEGLI Life Insurance and that you are a beneficiary, you can download a claim form and mail it to OFEGLI, an office of MetLife. MetLife determines who is entitled to FEGLI Life Insurance proceeds, for what amount, and processes all claims. OPM has no role in this process.
Due to privacy restrictions, the employee's human resources office cannot release information about whether the employee was enrolled in FEGLI Life Insurance, the amount of life insurance, or the names of the beneficiaries. MetLife will mail a claim form to each beneficiary. All inquiries about life insurance claims must be directed to MetLife.
If the insured person was FAMILY MEMBER covered under FEGLI Option C:
FEGLI Option C covers the lives of the employee/retiree's spouse and eligible children under age 22.
If you have Option C coverage and an eligible family member dies, complete this form and submit it to the location indicated on page 1.

When you die, the Office of Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance (OFEGLI) will pay life insurance benefits in a particular order, set by law:

If you assigned ownership of your life insurance, OFEGLI will pay benefits in the following order of precedence: First, to the beneficiary(ies) designated by your assignee(s), if any;
Second, if there is no such beneficiary, to your assignee(s).

If you did not assign ownership and there is a valid court order on file, OFEGLI will pay benefits in accordance with that court order.

If you did not assign ownership and there is no valid court order on file, OFEGLI will pay benefits in the following order of precedence:

First, to the beneficiary(ies) you designated;

Second, if there is no such beneficiary, to your widow or widower;

Third, if none of the above, to your child or children, with the share of any deceased child distributed among descendants of that child (a court will usually have to appoint a guardian to receive payment for a minor child);

Fourth, if none of the above, to your parents in equal shares or the entire amount to your surviving parent;

Fifth, if none of the above, to the executor or administrator of your estate;

Sixth, if none of the above, to your other next of kin as determined under the laws of the State where you lived.

To designate new beneficiaries, submit a Designation of Beneficiary to your human resources office (or to OPM's Retirement Office if you are retired).
If you would like to know who is listed in your current Designation of Beneficiary, follow these instructions.

Life insurance proceeds are not considered taxable income for the recipients for personal income tax purposes. Interest paid on FEGLI proceeds is reportable as income for Federal Income tax purposes. You may wish to consult your tax advisor for further advice.

The Office of Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance pays interest on claims from the date of the insured's death to the date of the payment. OFEGLI pays a maximum of two years worth of interest, even if the time from date of death to date of payment is over two years.

First of all, Basic and any Optional insurance is payable no matter where your death occurs.
The only amount in question is the Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D) coverage payable under Basic and Option A. AD&D coverage is payable if you receive bodily injuries solely through violent, external, and accidental means (with some exceptions) and if, as a direct result of the bodily injuries, independently of all other causes, and within one year afterwards, you lose your life, limb, or eyesight. One of the exceptions is if your death or loss is caused directly or indirectly by war (declared or undeclared), any act of war, armed aggression, or insurrection, in which you are, at the time bodily injuries are sustained, in actual combat.
The Office of Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance decides whether to pay AD&D only after the death or loss has occurred and after thoroughly studying the facts surrounding the situation. We can't give definitive answers beforehand.

Yes. FEGLI life insurance benefits are payable regardless of the cause or location of death. However, if someone else causes your death, he or she may be excluded from receiving the death benefits.
Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D) coverage is an automatically included in Basic and Option A insurance for employees at no additional cost. AD&D will not be paid in a suicide case because the death is not accidental.

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